Leave Me
by Nymaerya
Summary: After Saturday, Andrew Clark has to face the new reality: Monday. He isn't sure who to talk or who to ignore, but no everybody is so confused about him.
1. Normal Monday

It's Monday, 7.00 am. The water is tickling his skin while his desperate thinking tries to help him in the shower. _Today. Monday, the first day after we met in that Saturday morning in the library. They're going to be there again, and what I'm going to do?_ Brian said that he won't ignore them, but what about him? _Claire was right; he doesn't have the same friends as we have._ But it was okay? Okay to ignore them?

He put on his lucky Nike shirt; that shirt has been with him for the worst moments, so maybe this shirt will help again. He look at himself in the mirror—he was the same as every morning, but instead of seeing a future sport star he sees a blonde-haired jerk with no personality. _He can't think for himself._ Damn it.

His father was staring at him while Andy was eating his toast.

'What?', Andy asked, with mouth full of bread. _I hate when he looks at me that way._

'Nothing, son' but it _was_ something. 'I was just wondering. I didn't want to ask you because you would like privacy and all that stuff, but I guess you can tell it to your old man.'

'What is, dad?' _Why isn't he going straight to the point?_

'Hmm… The girl that you was looking at when I picked you, who was she? I mean, the brown-haired one.'

 _Some girl really weird that understood me and I understood her._ 'She is just a classmate.' _Not a friend or a girlfriend. Classmate._

'Just a classmate? You don't usually look at your classmates that way, Andy.' His father was never a smart one, but he could read his son like glass.

Andy finished eating and drank a huge glass of juice. He stood up, willing to go away from his father.

'It was Saturday at school, dad, and I was really bored.'

His mother had to take him to school. They didn't talk too much, as the close parent was always his father. She was just… well, there. The silent trip will gain him some time to think.

 _I the only one I can talk without being judge is Claire, but the truth is that I can't stand her. Bender is okay, but he may not be in school today, doing whatever. Great, one less to worry about. Brian, for sure he is going to be there. I guess I could wave at him or something. Maybe he is busy with his Math and all that academic stuff._ The last person is the one that Andy tried to avoid thinking all the time. _Allison. Damn her._ She will be there too, and he doesn't know what to do with her. _I guess I could…_ Nothing brings up to his mind. _He can't think for himself._

He waves distantly to his mom and shut the car door. He hears the sound of the wheels running while his friends are waiting at him to come in the building. _Getting back to old life. With my friends, my real friends._

Tommy was kidding with Rick about some sad little nerd was passing by. _That could be Brian, and I could be them, mocking at his orthopaedic shoes and huge thick glasses._

'Hey', Andy says in his macho tone.

'How was Saturday?' Rick asks. 'Do you had to punch yourself to death because of the freaks that were in there?'

'Ah, yeah. Andy, how's school at weekends? It looks more fucking boring that it is today?' Tommy is the dumb one. Also he's the strongest and good-looking of the group.

'School was shitty as always. With Mr. Vernon watching us with his gay ass', he said with no excitement. 'They were freaks with me too, but it wasn't bad at all. At even punched one.' _Well, it wasn't really a punch, but Bender won't be around there correcting what happened._

'Who you was with anyway?' Rick was the friendly one. Always there for you. 'Was it all freaks, or some hottie was with the group too?'

 _If you mean popular, it was the empty-headed daddy's girl._ 'Nothing special to talk about. John Bender was there and Claire'. The guys gave him a surprised look. 'She was shopping instead of going to class.'

'Well, that sucks, being only Claire Standish and you', Rick answered, thinking that he wouldn't stand it being at his place. 'Did you make out with her?.'

'Nah, the chance was there, but we never did it'. _Instead I kissed some invisible girl who later took my jacket._ 'I didn't do much that day, as you can see'. _I hope that this questioning is over now._ And it was. Something drew the attention to stupid Tommy.

'Who's that?' Tommy couldn't stop looking and Andy turned to see what is the surprise. _Oh no. Not her._

With a padded blue jacket, a white blouse wrapped in her waist with a big black belt and high-waisted skinny jeans, a pretty girl appeared. _She looks like Claire did her again._ Wild short hair was behind her face, looking as a messed-up diva. But it was the face that matters. Fair skin was glowing as snow and her eyes were dark and seductive. _She's smiling. In a hot way._

'I've seen her somewhere', Rick swore to himself.

Her walking wasn't irregular, was… sured. As if she already knew how beautiful she looked. _I'm not the only one who noticed._ She was getting closer, and by the entrance door, she walked a bit slower than before and was around his group, without stopping. She was looking at him, smiling.

'Hey', she said, and went into the building.

 _She was looking at me. Tommy and Rick are going to suspect._ But his friends weren't that clever.

'Man, that girl was looking at me.' Tommy put his hands in his pants pockets casually, trying to be cool. 'She wants something'.

'I remember now!' Rick was proud of himself for such a smart deduction. 'She is my French class. Amy, Abbie or something.'

'And why didn't you present her to me, hey my dear friend Ricky?' Tommy was also the tallest one, being a bit over six feet. He rounded Rick with his big arm in a false friendly way.

'Because normally she is… Invisible. I can barely notice her.' Rick was confused; how he would ignore such a chick?

'Well, now she is pretty invisible' Tommy smirked. 'Whatcha think, Clark? You haven't said anything yet. Do you think Amy would be enough for your friend Tommy?'

 _It's Allison, you assholes. And she is not going to mess with you,_ he wanted to say. But as always, all he could mouth is: 'Yeah dude, she's fine. Go and get her'. _What's wrong with me?_

* * *

The day was monotonous for Andy. He hadn't seen Bender and surprisedly Brian either; they have less in common than Andy thought. He saluted Claire along the breaks and tried to avoid looking for Allison. _She was a brief thing. You don't even know her. She's weird. Pretty and smart, but weird. What if she was a psychopath?_ Andy was fighting anytime he though about going to her and touch that perfect doll-like skin. _And Tommy wants her. You can't separate you from Tommy because of a girl. That the bro's code._ But was Tommy really his pal?

The thought of Tommy and Allison being close, together, him stroking with caress her hair and Allison looking at him with that intense eyes that read you in a second, makes Andy sick. _She can't be with him. She doesn't even know his name. And she likes me. She kissed me and looked only to me this morning._ Andy made a choice.

In a small paper he wrote it with his best fast handwriting: _See you at the front door when school finishes. We can hang out after together. Sporto._ Good. He feels like he's in middle school again, with secret little messages. In the break between English and History, he slips through the corridor and put the paper in her locker. _I hope that is her locker._

At lunch time, he had seen everybody he wish he hadn't. Brian, Claire, Allison, even Bender cared to go there. _I guess this isn't a school thing, this is social life._ Each group in its place. Brian was submerged in a pile of books with other nerds around him, eating quietly. _He's the leader of the group. The popular one._ Andy had to laugh.

Bender was sitting in the table with other foul-looking guys, making noise and drawing attention to everybody, as they were the show and the rest the public. Claire was surrounded by queen-bees, probably talking about shoes or hair and all that shit that stupid girls think about, but Claire wasn't Claire. She was absent, looking in other direction, letting words and comment flow through the air, but never picking them to hear them. Andy thought she was looking at nowhere and thinking of everything, but he followed her stare. She was looking at Allison.

And there she was. Pretty Allison, eating her lunch alone. _No matter how hot she looks, she's still sitting with nobody._ Should he go with her? Did she read the note? If she did, it would be the right thing to go around her and talk with her. But he knew that it wasn't the right thing for him. He glimpsed again at Claire. _She's thinking the same thing._

'Hey, Clark.' Rick took him again into real life. 'What are you thinking? You don't look good.'

'Because, for the first time, our Andy is thinking!' Tommy had the stupid thing of saying all the time 'our' as his father does too. _Tommy reminds me of dad._ 'It's hard for him, so that's why the face.'

'Go to hell', Andy said with a dry smile.

Allison finished her lunch quickly and was heading to the exit when a voice called her. _Claire._

They talked for a couple of minutes and after that, both were smiling. Later Claire was walking towards her table and Allison was following her. She sat with the popular girls. Like that. _She doesn't know that she's heading to the lion's den._

 _Of course she's with the popular girls. She was nothing and now she's pretty. And she has Claire, not quite a friend, but something close as a nice female classmate. That's going to help her to be in the same social group as Claire and me. Maybe if she's popular, it won't be bad for me to go out with her. People wouldn't look weird at me._ But Allison won't hold on that much. She hates phony people. And the phony people won't hold Allison, having too much personality and being weird. _You should go with her_ , a little voice said, _save her from those hungry hyenas and make her smile. That beautiful smile._

* * *

The bell rang. It's over. Other infernal day of school. Time to go home and be yourself again. Training is everyday but Monday and Thursday, so he can go early to his house. He was in the main corridor, heading to freedom, always with his friends.

'And later Ashley came to me, drunk, of course, and she just leaned over me and…' Tommy was telling another sex story of him and some unlucky easy girl. Rick and the rest were hearing. Tony, Ben and Charlie, all thinking of the boobs of the drunk girl. Andy grew tired of it after Tommy was telling one every week. _I bet that half of the stories aren't really his, they're from some porn video he saw that weekend._

Allison was waiting at the door. Her tight pants showed her skinny but toned legs. He didn't noticed them on Saturday. _She was wearing black tights and a long skirt, of course you didn't notice. She must be doing jogging or something._ It was strange to imagine her doing exercise. When she saw them going to the main door, she waited patiently, smiling at him. Not seductively, like this morning, it was a truly happy smile. _I can't. I just… can't._

And he didn't stop for her. He kept walking, and her smiley face turned into a confused frown. _I felt on Saturday that we could think the same in many senses._

In a second, all happened. The time slowed, and when she was almost as the same height as him, her eyes talked. 'What's going on? Why you keep walking?' her stare begged. Andy turned his head to the right and then to the left, only Allison noticing it. 'It's not happening, Allison. Sorry.' She understood. Her stare turned into a fiery look. 'I hate you' he swear she mouthed. He and his crew passed her, but he kept looking at her.

'What's happening, Clark?' Rick could sense the tension. He looked back. 'What are you looking at? There's nothing back there.'

Andy looked back once more. It was true. Nothingness was in the air. _She disappeared, as if I never met her._ Maybe it could be that way. Maybe that Saturday never happened. He saw his father's car and said good-bye to his friends. He looked at the school for last time before getting in the big Ford car. _Sorry, Allison._


	2. I Should Talk with Her

'I'm thinking in asking out her now', Tommy was staring at Claire's table, Allison being the center of attention. _It seems that she survived._

'Who are you asking out?' Andy regretted that he asked—he already knew the answer.

'Queen Elizabeth II. Who could it be, Andy? Abbie! Or Amy or whatever. The girl. Man, sometimes I think you are getting dumber than other days.'

Lunch time. After a week of dreaming looks and dirty comments of Tommy about the new chick his eyes set on, everything was okay again. But Tommy wasn't the only one with full attention on Allison; Andy tracked where she was going, who she was talking to, what she was wearing. He tracked _everything. I look like a stalker._ He felt really sorry for her—he was a jerk. From last Monday, she didn't make a scene or freaked out or even look mad at him; she didn't do anything at all. That was the worst. Her sudden way of ignoring him. That was driving him crazy. And that's why he can't take her out of his mind.

'Now she's with the girls', Rick said, 'unless you want the girly stares and giggling and the gossips of them, you should wait 'till the school's over or catch a break.

'I can't wait'. Tommy stood up. 'And I don't care about them'. He went straight to the girls' table.

Tommy walked arrogantly and as if stopped by chance, he ask in the middle of rose perfume and the new fashion trend. He took out Allison as if she was a rabbit and drew her to a corner. She was against the wall, her leg folded and her arms back her, while Tommy's arm was resting in the wall, his face close to hers. _She can play the delicate girl, with that pose._ Andy smiled. _Tommy, you don't fucking now who you are asking out._

Both where smiling, and that was a punch in the stomach for Andy. He wanted to look to otherwhere, or to not look at all, but he couldn't. He needed to know what was happening at that moment.

After five minutes, Tommy freed Allison and each one went back to the right table.

'And?' Rick asked.

'Gentlemen, Tommy's having a new chick'. He sat with a smile in his face, victorious of the talk. Andy wanted to punch him until Tommy couldn't smile again ever.

'How it went? What did you said?' Andy blurred out. He couldn't controlled it.

Tommy gave him a strange look. Guys usually don't talk about it. They just affirm or deny and the case is closed.

'Are you a curious little bastard, aren't you?' Tommy smirked. Again. 'Well, it was an easy thing. I asked her name. Oh by the way, her name is Allison. Allison Reynolds, she told me shyly. She's really pretty when she's shy. And I told her who I was and asked her to go out sometime. She answered 'sure', biting her lip with a strange but defying look and we set the date. She was free today, so I going to pick her up and go somewhere this afternoon'. He bit eagerly his chicken wing. 'Easy', he said with his mouth full.

 _So she actually said yes._ To Tommy. Tommy who is as slow-witted as a cockroach. Tommy who though in middle school that his penis was a bone because it could get hard. Tommy the handsome one but as stupid as hell. _She must have a think for sport guys._ Maybe she was interested in him too. _I don't think for myself, so all she was interested in was because of the looks._ He felt dumb. Of course it was because of the looks. Strip Andrew Clark of his sport looking and all that remains is nothing.

The following day, on lunch time, Andy was worried about what happened yesterday. He hasn't seen Allison in the whole morning, and Tommy didn't talked about it, because he was going to brag it in the right time and in the right place. Lunch time.

'Yesterday I went with Allison', he starts as everyone is listening at him, curious about how the new hot girl is. _She's not new, she was just invisible._ 'She is weird as hell', Tommy concluded as Andy was tense, 'but in a good way. She's not only pretty, she's smart. She sometimes would put funny faces at somethings and be really quiet, other time she would just talk about deep shitty stuff that I couldn't understand. When she noticed that I wasn't listening to her, she just took my hand and I grabbed her and kissed her. That was all the afternoon. Just physical.'

'You made it with her the first date?' Tony asked, surprised by the new record of his friend.

Tommy laughed. 'Quite closed, Anthony, but we didn't.' He smiled slyly and said with a deep voice, 'But I can't say either that what we did was for all sort of audiences.'

 _When she noticed that I wasn't listening to her, she just took my hand and I grabbed her and kissed her._ One of the things he liked most about her was her thoughts. She was another suffering teenager, even beyond that—I wise teenager. He could stare at her and listen to her all the time. He was truly marvelled with her. How could someone ignore her? _And that's not the worst, smart guy, they kissed._ Maybe Tommy was lying—he would often do that. Exaggerate the story. Maybe he wasn't that lost at all.

'Anyway, we have future.' Tommy said. 'This is not some dumb chick I can fuck over and over, she actually can think too.' Every word Tommy was saying, Andy's desire to punch him was stronger.

 _I can't be. Allison is not a slut, she's not like Claire's friends._ Andy was confused. _I'm a nymphomaniac._ She later dismantled the lie, but she said too that she was a compulsive liar. _Could she be either both?_ Andy's head began to spin. This was too much.

* * *

When the gang was going out of the cafeteria, the girls' group was near the entrance, and Tommy took out again Allison to a few lockers away from Claire and company. He took her away to kiss her. They there were, kissing passionately while everybody was talking. Okay, this was normal for everyone and Tommy, but for the first time Andy was looking at them with a really bad stomachache. He had to go out of there.

Somebody called him. He didn't care. As he went into to the bathroom, a hand grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

'I can't go into there, you know?' a female voice said.

 _Allison._ But it wasn't Allison, it was Claire. He was surprised.

'Claire! What you want?' He didn't understand why she was there.

'Andy, you have to be sincere with me.' Claire was looking into his eyes, trying to grip the truth when she will find it. 'Are you fine about Tommy going out with Allison?'

'Hm, yeah. Why not?' he didn't want to look hurt.

'Tell me the truth, Andrew. I know what happened that Saturday.' _Great. So she knows about it too._

'Weren't you too busy making out with Bender to notice anything around you?'

Claire preoccupied look turned to rage.

'You're an asshole. I'm just here, trying to help you and asking you and you are just being a jerk.' Her full lips were in a disgusted pose. 'I could just ignore you as Allison does and feign that I never met you'. She turned back in a dramatic way. He had to stop her.

'Claire.' She came back, with her arms crossed, waiting for an apology. _So egocentric._ 'I'm sorry for that. I'm just… messed up. I mean, I screwed it with her.' He told her the story. Claire punched him as hard as she could do in his shoulder. It did hurt a bit.

'Agh, you _are_ an asshole.'

'Oh, haven't you done the same?' Andy was annoyed that she thought of him that way. 'What about Bender?'

'Okay, Andy, I'm here to help you, but if you are going to be like this, I swear I'm leaving you.' She said, as she would be his best comprehensive friend in the world. 'You are an asshole. I understand the social pressure, Andy, but I would be discreet. I would later go after her house and hang out. You can't…' she sighed. 'You can't let her go because of what others expect you to do'.

 _What happened with Bender and her?,_ he wanted to ask, now curious. But that would be rude.

'Do you really think about dating her and everything?' Claire frowned at him. 'We had a special time that Saturday, and like they say, 'What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas'. She's pretty weird. A basket case. I don't want to sound cold or superficial but, are you sure you _want_ to be with her? I mean, it could be a whim.'

 _Claire has a point. Do you want to be with her? You barely know anything about her, and we were all desperate in the library. Maybe that's it; desperation._

'I… I don't know, Claire. What have you done with John?', he was afraid that she would scowl him. 'If I can ask'.

Claire rolled her eyes.

'Whatever'. She looked at him again. 'John and I… It's complicated, Andy. He's way too different of what I expect, and I will probably end as many of his 'girls' that he keeps in his wallet'. A sad look crossed in her face. 'But Ally and you are different. You aren't John, and Ally isn't me.'

 _Ally?_ Suddenly he remembered that she was in the same group with Claire.

'By the way, Claire', he said shyly. 'How is it that she's with you girls?'

'Oh, it was my idea. She's really pretty now, and a pretty girl needs to be with other pretty girls.' She looked at him and he knew that that wasn't all. 'Agh, the truth is that I can't stand my girlfriends anymore. They've become really bitchy and stupid. Well, they _always_ were bitchy and stupid, but I didn't realised it.' She was sad again. 'I'm tired of being popular, Andrew.' After a few moments of silent self-pity, she continued. 'Anyway, I thought it could be a good idea to have Allison around me more often and now that she's… well, noticeable, it's not a great deal without suffering strange looks and gossips.'

'And… Does she says anything about…?' He couldn't finish the question.

'About you? Not a single word. She's playing it cool, you know. She is a good actress. I was a bit scared that she would act all weird, but she acts like an average teenager, only that sometimes she's too quiet or stares too much.' She tilted her head. 'I hung out with her last Saturday. We've become quite good friends since then. When she's alone with me, she acts a bit more like herself, but she makes you feel different and that is fine, I guess.'

'I'm happy that she finally has friends'.

'Oh, but I'm her only friend. The other girls are just taking advantage of the new girl, and they envy her for drawing so much attention, so the gossip about her all the time.'

'That sorta horrible, you know'.

'I know, I know, but what can I do? The damage is done. And they're the damage. I guess that when I big fight comes, I will be with her and we will be _unpopularised_. You know, I discover that I'm way more happier being myself than being under social pressure. I may be fit for popularity, but I wasn't born for bearing such a thing.'

 _Claire is not caring about her social standing? The queen bee, the dramatic one because one girl didn't like her outfit? Maybe Claire is beginning to like me better than before._

'Wow, that's… awesome of you to say that, Claire'. He was totally perplexed.

'I know, I can't even believe myself. I think that I'm changing to a better person.' She looked at the corridor again, where her friends began to notice her absence. 'Well, I just came here to say that if you need me for talking about Allison or help you with it, don't think it twice and come to me.' She winked and smiled and returned to her flock of girls.


	3. Silent Sufferings

After two weeks of relationship, Allison realised how much she hated Tommy. He was stupid and superficial, and he was always talking of fucking and of course, Allison would always argue with him. She couldn't bear it anymore. Tommy, the girls, the popularity… Sometimes she wanted to scream or to kill herself or to kill everyone. She said the same to Claire.

'I just can't, Claire', she realised that everyday she was becoming 'more normal' and everyday Claire was becoming a bit more weird. Allison guessed that is because they need to be the same as weird or as normal to be friends.

'Popularity is a really hard way of living, Ally', Claire said as she was finishing Allison's nails for the party. 'It's not as easy as going shopping or kissing some popular guy'.

'I hate them. All of them. How could they live with so much shit around them and see that actually the world pretty hated them too?'

Claire's face gave a sad smile. 'They have too much shit that they're blinded from the reality.'

'I'm over with it. I'm going to break up with Tommy, fuck off with the girls and live by my own, as before. I was weird and depressed, but I was less depressed than now'. Her nails were actually looking pretty good, since Claire prohibited her to bite them.

Claire and her were really good friends since that Saturday. They thought at the beginning that their differences would distance them, but it actually complemented them, helping each other with their different qualities. Allison was in a way becoming more Claire and Claire more Allison.

'Tommy really likes you, and the girls aren't that bad once you get used to it.' Claire took out from her dressing room two dresses. While one was ostentatious with a velvet black fabric, the other one was elegant, short and red. 'I can't wear red dresses because it doesn't match with my hair. I don't know why the heck my mother bought it. I never wore it. Take it so you can show what you have tonight.

'Thanks, Claire. That's nice, and this dress is too… pretty.' Allison didn't know how she would look with it. _It's made for a really hot model, not for a basket case._ She always denied that she was popular. She will always be the weird one.

'You _are_ pretty, Allison. I hate your low esteem, because you really worth it. Look all the boys after you, all the girls envying you. And if you still don't believe me, trust me. Let me do your hair and make-up and you will see.' First Claire did her hair and make-up. She was quicker and she would have then plenty of time for her friend Ally.

'I trust you, but I still think that the dress is over me.' Allison stared at the glow that the nail polish was making. 'And coming back with it, you hate being popular. You just want to be an invisible girl and fuck off all of them, like me. Why don't we just go by our own way? How bad could it be?'

Claire was zipping up the dress and she turned around to face her. 'I really don't… Well, it's true that I hate it, and since I'm your friend more and more. Before I saw the privileges, but now I realised that is petty compared to the bad stuff. But I just can't give up like: 'Hey! I don't want to be popular anymore. Ignore me.' Things don't go that way Allison.' She finished her voluminous hair and started applying her lipstick.

Allison saw the truth. 'You're scared, Claire.' Claire turned once more to look at her surprised. Her upper lip glowed with a dark red tone. 'Yes, you are scared. You hate being who you are, well, what others want to be who you are, but you are too scared to face them. You have always been the pretty, the popular, laughing at the invisible girls like me, imaging their miserable lives without shopping and boys and popularity. Well, I'll tell you the truth—we are way more happier than you girls. We can be what we want to be, and some of us may be pretty, others may not, but after all we have our boyfriend that will love us for who we are, not for what we look like or how slut we are. We have our friends, _true_ friends, Claire. We are happy, and what's more: we are confident about ourselves, because we don't need the approbation of others to do something or nothing at all.' Her throat was dry. She hasn't talk that much in a long time.

Claire had her jaw slightly dropped, but she finished somehow to do her other lip.

'I… I don't know what to say. The other no-popular people look so pathetic and they always look up at us that it must be for something.' She still was doing her make-up. That was the thing about Claire Standish; whatever it happens, always her make-up straight.

'Claire, we look pathetic because you imagine that we're pathetic to feel better about how superficial your life are, so that you can think that it could be worse being a basket case. And it's true, some girls look up you, but those are the ones who are freaking out with the first guy that talk to them or the lives are as empty as yours, only that they are ugly.' She tried to fit into the red dress which was a bit tight in some of her parts—the breast part, for instance. 'The rest of us are really happy. Brian, for example. He's a nerd and proud of it. He doesn't want your friendship for popularity or to brag it to his nerd friends—that's so a popular person thought. He wanted it because he really liked you and liked us and he thought that we could be friends. It's not pathetic, Claire. You can be yourself and with people who truly like you.'

Claire sighed, so she wouldn't cry. It would mess-up her platinum eyeshadow with heavy mascara on her eyelashes. 'But, what the other girls would think of me? They will be always gossiping and talking shit about me.' She finished. She was pretty as always; the little black dress showed her nice legs and some of her curves, a white pearl collar added elegance and her hair and face was always, well, pretty. It was Allison's turn. She hates when Claire put on her make-up. She feels like a bag of meat being painted.

'Claire, they are already talking shit about you in your back. It isn't worth it, trust me. Think of it once more—you, me, maybe a romantic dinner alone at the moonlight.'

Claire had to laugh. She was fond of the weird pale-skinned girl. 'Okay, Ally, I will think about it.' She finished applying powder on her. _It looks like your skin is made up of marble_ , Claire would say. 'But, chatty girl, could you be quiet so I can apply on you the mascara with no drama around.'

Allison screamed in her mouth. Claire smiled once again, relaxed. 'I know you hate it, but that way I can stand out those incredible eyes that you have. So shut up and let me make you gorgeous.'

After she finished with her torture, Claire showed up the new Allison to the mirror: she was actually really pretty with that dress, showing curves that she didn't know of their existence and how her breast look shaped with the tight dress. She didn't have any necklace but she had a huge black bracelet and black hooped earrings. Her face was really good. Her eyes were really intensified and it was pretty seductive. _Ha. I'm seductive._ 'That's not me', she mouthed.

'That's Allison Reynolds, but this Allison hasn't showed up in forever', said Claire, proud of her work. 'That's why you don't think that you are pretty. You are, but you have a stupid way of hiding it.' Suddenly she remembered something and rushed again to the dressing room. Allison heard her voice from far away.

'You have the same foot size as we, don't you?', she came back. With a pair of heels. One were white wedges and other classy black heels, not really high, about three inches.

'No, no, no, no, no. Claire, I'm not wearing that human torture for women. I'm happy with my height, thank you.' She suddenly went down and hide her feet, as it would stop her friend from making her wear those shoes.

'It's not about height, dummy. It's about style. You are wearing these beautiful and expensive black shoes because you have to. Society rules. And my rules.' She was already with them, being four inches taller than before.

'I hate your rules. I hate rules.' She whispered, hating her friend.

'You are in my house, and I'm letting you go pretty to Rick's party. You have to pay my debt. Now, take these beauties and wear them if you want to go out my house alive.' Claire was a bit spoiled, and she would always have things go her way.

—

Music was everywhere. Unknown artists with energetic sound broke down the house. About sixty teenagers—sixty drunk teenagers were dancing, fooling, making out and of course, drinking. _This is the future, this the youth of today._ She just saw two people making out, and the guy stopped, threw up, and after that he continued making out with the girl. She had to be staring weirdly for so long, because both noticed and they began to look at her. While they were making out.

'Allison!' He shouted. The last _he_ she wanted to be with in the world. 'You've finally came! Come here, I want to be with most beautiful girlfriend in the world.' He sounded really _really_ drunk.

She forced her feet (they were dead because of the heels) and went to the small group of her boyfriend. She didn't know how she made it, but she was there. Everybody was there—Tommy, the host, Rick, Tony and the other guy whose name she doesn't remember, and Andy. There he was. He was wearing the same pants, shirt and sneakers. _He only has those clothes?_ But he was really cute. He was slightly drunk, as his eyes shouted to her. He looked at her up to down and later to her face again. In a half-beat, she swore she saw him smile. She loved that smile. She couldn't hate him anymore. But she was with Tommy, who took her and snapped his lips into hers and a slippy but familiar tongue was around her mouth. He was really a slimy kisser and that made him even more irritable. She briefly looked at Andy again, and any sign of smile from his face disappeared. He drank from his huge cup and he emptied it.

'Oh, Allison, you look _so_ hot tonight.' He was eating her with his eyes. He shouted to his friends. 'Why don't you turn around to see what you've got?' All the guys were staring at them. Even Andy. She couldn't read what he was thinking now.

'Pardon?', she said incredulously. Tommy was never that aggressive with her. Even when they were alone.

'Turn around and let me see you.' He said seriously.

'Go to hell' she said with fury in her eyes. Everybody was surprised by her defiance. She wasn't.

'Couldn't you be a perfect girlfriend and bring me another cup?' he came closer to her. He stank of alcohol, hormones and sweat. 'You know, Ally, lot of people make it tonight. We can't disappoint the tradition.' He _was_ drunk.

'Thomas, I won't loose my virginity with my drunk boyfriend in a bath tub or in a closet in some friend's house.' She was going to slap him right now.

'You and your excuses.' He sighed. 'Bring me beer.' She scowled at him. 'Please.'

That was the perfect excuse to stay away from him. But she wouldn't go far with those heels. She went straight to the kitchen, where tons and tons of beer were waiting to someone, as a lover for a kiss. _I can't bear this pressure._

She took off her shoes and barefoot, she looked a place for them. _They are expensive shoes, and from Claire's._ She had to hide them in somewhere. All the food and drinks were out, so she kept the heels in the freezer. _They will stay fresh_. She laughed hard.

'Hey, you! Amy or something, right?' a nice drunk guy called her.

'Allison' she corrected him, being probably the only sober person in the house.

'Allison! Pretty Allison. You haven't drink, haven't you?' When she said no with her head, he filled her cup with beer. 'Here! Have some fun!'

'Thank you', she said shyly, but nobody heard her.

 _I don't want to be drunk._ Tommy could—no, will take advantage of her. Aware of being raped, she poured the drink in the first plant that have the bad luck to see. _Next mission: I have to find Claire._ Where could a popular pretty girl be in a party? She looked in all the corners and beyond of the first floor. No red-haired girl with a black dress was there. Then she would be in the place that Allison feared: upstairs.

Usually upstairs meant sex. Allison, careful of not being stepped by heels, she crawled upstairs. Nothing was safe. Somebody called her. It was the same guy that gave her the cup. She had the pleasure to grunt at him. He looked at her with a familiar look that she missed so much— _you're crazy_.

First floor. You can already hear the beat of love—well, the beat of lust. She opened the first door that she saw. Nude girl over a nude boy. She closed the door. Next door. Two guys and a lucky girl. The door is closed after a second of exposure. Next door. An orgy of three guys and two girls. She closed the door again. Three doors left. She opened another one and she found her. With a guy. John Bender.

'Allison!' Claire said, surprised, maybe by the fact that she found her or maybe by the fact that she found her with Bender.

'Hey, Al', John looked at her. 'I haven't heard of you since the punishment day. You are stunning tonight. You may even steal the spot of this one.' Claire gave him a punch. 'What! You are even proud of her.'

Allison looked at them intensely and said a shy good-bye, closing the door. _I'm screwed._

She went down again and she realised that she hadn't brought with her the cup from Tommy, and she didn't have someone to talk to. _I can't leave Claire, but I'm alone_. She decided that it would be a great idea to hide behind the curtain. The long blue curtain that could hide her from any social moment. She slipped discreetly, so nobody could see her. She was submerged in her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice and her name.

'…Allison hasn't done anything with me since a week ago. She always has something to say. Period, bad days or other shitty excuse. I think she cheating on me.' Tommy was confessing to his friends. _He's drunker than before._

'She's not cheating on you', Andy said, sure of what he said. Thinking about it, she hasn't heard to his voice in forever. When she was around with him, Andy would quiet himself to death.

'She is'. Tommy was annoyed. 'And before anyone could cheat on Tommy Smith, I will always strike first.'

'You cheated on Allison?' Rick asked, surprised.

'Yes, I cheated on Allison.' He said it as a matter-of-fact. 'Is this tremendous blonde with big tits called…' She never knew the name of the girl.

Through the curtain, a shadow moved fast and her ears confirmed the blow. Thomas Smith was punched. By the force of it, he fell down to the floor and for a second he stood to his aggressor. It was Andy. Allison's eyes were wide as plates and her breath grew short.

Tommy was bigger and stronger than Andy, but he was faster and the most important: he wasn't _that_ drunk. Another blow was in the air, but Andy saw it before and he evaded with such ease that he did gracefully. He returned with another blow that hit Tommy full in his face. In his pretty face and Allison swore that she heard a _crack_. Bye-bye perfectly shaped nose. The fight was getting serious. Objects were now involved in the fight—she decided that she had to go away from that place as soon as she could get. She went down again: crawling was always the best option. Like a cat, she sneaked out of the curtains and she head to the corridor. When she was near to the stairs, two feet stopped in front of her. She looked up. It was Rick.

'Hm, Allison, what are you…' a shout came from the living room.

'Trouble', Rick passed through her to stop the two half-wits from killing themselves.

Allison decided that the safest option was upstairs. She shooed the people who were making out in the first room she found and decided to stay there until everything has passed. She didn't bother to look what room was. She just laid on the floor and creeped until she found something. A bath tub. Nobody was in there, so she just went into it and hoped to sleep a couple of hours. The enough hours to later pick up Claire and get the hell out of there.

After fifteen minutes staring at the ceiling in complete darkness, thinking of Tommy with no remorse, somebody came in. The person turned on the lights and his face was unmasked by the blindness of light. It was Andy.

Some parts of his face were swollen and he had a black eye. He didn't notice that someone else was in there, so he took some paper from the roll and wet it to take out the blood off his face.

'Andy', Allison said in a hushed voice, but suddenly the bathroom seemed huge and _Andy_ echoed through the walls. He looked down the tub, already knowing who was there.

'I'm sorry, Allison.' It was all he could say, and that was enough for her.

She got up and went out of the tub. Her slim skirt was over her thighs because of the movement and black panties were out for public view before she straightened them down. Andy didn't look for her panties—he was concentrated on her face, mouthing over and over again. _I'm sorry, Allison_.

She stared at him furious and confused; maybe delighted and disappointed. _You shouldn't have done that, Andrew,_ like a mother would say to his rebellious child. _I'm sorry Allison._

She went to him and took his jaw with her hand, widening her eyes. He twitched his face because of the pain but he couldn't stop looking at her.

With her hand at his face, she drew him slowly to the toilet, that was covered and she lowered her hand without taking it out of his face, giving him the order of sitting down. She took out her hand and looked at him madly. She grunted at him and showed her teeth. He would still look at her with those blue sad eyes. _I can still see those beautiful eyes, looking at me with hope._ She couldn't hate him for so long. She turned around him and found a sink and a cabinet with a mirror. Over it was a health kit, but it was a bit out of her range. _I wished I had the heels now._ It wasn't too late. She looked at him for the last time. _He looks miserable._ Allison rushed at the door with her bare feet.

Downstairs she saw the mess. A tea table was broken and chips of crystal and ceramic were all over the floor. It was a mess and a problem for her bare feet. She walked with her first two toes of each foot through the room. After looking like a completely idiot playing a spy, she ran to the kitchen and opened the freezer. The black shoes were so beautiful now. She took them out and went to the living room.

 _I can't put the shoes on and risk that some crystal may break or scratch Claire's heels, they are expensive and important to her._ She threw a deep breath and again on her toes, she crossed the room in a hurry. In the middle of the room, her left foot flinched and her right foot fell through a small but huge bit of crystal. Pain was on her foot. _Don't let the pain come over you, don't let the pain come over you…_ Limping, she made it through the stairs.

She returned to the bathroom, and Andy was there, where she left him. She showed him the shoes as the most obvious thing in the world and she was on them in a second.

Three inches taller, she had to even put half her weight in the sink—hoping that she would reach the kit. Her left leg was on the sink, her right leg pulled her muscles so she could stand even higher. She reached it. Taking it with the tip of her fingers, she went off the sink and took off the shoes. She opened the kit and found what she needed: bandages, cotton wool and hydrogen peroxide. _Perfect._

Andy was half asleep, too hurt for moving himself and was barely conscious when she touched him again. Allison didn't realised until now how bad he was. Blood and bruises was all over his face, and the black eye didn't make it better. She had work to do.

'You are fucking asshole', she said as she could hear him crying a bit because of the pain.

Twenty minutes later and half covered in bandages, Andy was awake by drowsy by the pain—or by the night. She put the kit back where it was and Andy saw the blood in her right foot.

'You're hurt'. He tried to get up but Allison was quicker and her arm draped his shoulder, making stay in his place.

'It's nothing, a small cut', she calmed him as she cleaned her foot and the floor. It was a lot of blood for a small cut. Andy realised it too and took some paper and gave it to her. 'Thank you', she said, without taking out him out of her sight.

After cleaning everything, she was tired. Tired of the fight, tired of the party, of Tommy, of Andy, the popularity, school, Claire, her parents, herself, _everything_. She felt so old. She took a deep breath and sunk herself in the floor, her back at the wall. The floor was cold, but she didn't cared. After all, she couldn't cared.

She tried to cry, but no tear shed in her eyes. Even her eyes were tired. She just stared at nowhere, hoping she could die soon.

A warm jacket was wrapped around her shoulders and Andy sat next to her with pain in his face.

'I punched Tommy. I punched him hard. He was-'

'Cheating on me, with a tremendous blonde with big tits who I don't know her name.' Andy looked surprised at her. 'I was hiding behind a curtain and saw and heard everything.'

'He's jerk for doing that on you. He didn't-' Allison interrupted him once again. She was too tired for words.

'I never liked him.' Andy had a sad look on her. 'He would always talk about sex and he was stupid. But you was even more stupid. You shouldn't got into a fight with him.'

'I was… I was out of myself, Allison.' Andy looked at the bathroom tiles, ashamed. 'When I heard that he cheated on you, my mind was locked and all I could do was beating him to death. That was all I wanted. Beat my friend to death.' _He looks so lost._

Allison didn't need to say anything. Her hand searched his and both traced together each other's fingers, not wanting to separate their hands ever again. With no words to be said, they enjoyed their time together.

After ten minutes in complete silence, Andy shocked his head with a smile.

'I shouldn't never let you go the first Monday after we met.' He squeezed her hand. 'I was a coward and an idiot. I regretted it every day since then.' Allison hushed him and laid her head on his shoulder, incredibly soft.

And they fell asleep, with both hands together, a weight out of their heads and a pair of blacks shoes ready to be worn again.


	4. Friends Again

He woke up as he was in a wonderful dream. His back was throbbing by the wrong pose and she left. Allison was with him last night.

He could remember everything and he had a blur in his head at the same time. He remembered the fight, the healing, the hands, and himself, telling to Allison how he regretted ignoring her on that old Monday. _I shouldn't never let you go the first Monday after we met._

The house was a mess when he took a chance to look around. _Rick is going to be in trouble_. But Andy had troubles of his own: he has to talk to Tommy and later to Allison.

In a hurry he jogged to Tommy's house—not far from Rick's— and rang the doorbell. Luckily, Tommy was still awake and received him with a confused look. He looked horrible, worse than Andy was last night. Tommy's nose was broken, and so was his lips. And he had a swollen black eye, with bumps across his face.

'Andy?' He was still staring at him, not understanding why Andy was looking as had as him.

'I'm…' He couldn't. _He cheated on Allison_. _He deserved it._ But Allison said that she never liked him, and after all, Tommy was his friend. 'I'm sorry, Tommy.'

'Sorry for what?' He was truly dumb.

Andy realised why. _He was so drunk that he doesn't remember anything_. That was perfect. No strains would be in their friendship. 'We had a fight last night.'

'Really? Who started?' Tommy knew it by the apology of Andy. 'Oh, you. Well, probably I deserved it after all. Why did we fight?'

'Allison', Andy blurted it out. He wanted to go straight into the point.

'Hm… I must had said something really dumb. Well, you are pardoned.' He did a move like he was a king, naming one of his knights.

 _He is so stupid that he doesn't realised it._ Before saying good-bye, he had a great idea that would eliminate some confrontations in high school.

'By the way, Allison and you broke up.' He said in a flat voice.

'We did?' Tommy was surprised, but not hurt. 'I have to stop getting that drunk.' His eyes blinked slowly, tired. 'Well, if you have nothing to say now, this soldier has to go to sleep. Bye, Andy.' He said in a friendly way and shut the door.

 _Good, now is Allison turn._ But now wasn't the adequate moment. And Andy was really tired.

He returned to his house dragging his feet and his mother was surprised by his face. He grunted a 'everything is okay, mom' and went up to the stairs. He landed on his bed and he didn't wake up until afternoon.

* * *

The doorbell rang. Andy was finishing his homework when his mother came into his room.

'Andy, honey. A friend of yours is asking for you.' She was uneasy. 'It's a girl.'

 _It must be Allison._ Two months after the party, Allison and Andy reunited and the stayed as closed friends. They finally met each other, and he was truly amazed by her. He was wonderstruck— everything of her was fascinating. How she talked, how she thought, how she moved. Everything. When they met that Saturday he sensed something about her. He couldn't stop staring at her, trying to unveil her mind. He couldn't back then and can't now, but he could understand her better. She was an explosion of fascination that everyday Andy was out of breath. She showed him how to think, and she opened her mind to someone, understanding her craziness and loneliness. She didn't feel weird again, only strange. Both of them learned something from each other.

He passed through the bathroom without going in and looking himself in the mirror. He was okay for meeting her. He rushed downstairs to meet her in the entrance.

She was leaning over the door frame, looking at him with a naughty smile. She was beautiful too, as always. She was wearing a high-neck sweater with a big black belt and tight dark trousers. Her style has improved since her friendship with Claire. She wore big black beaded earrings and her hair was held back with a headband. Her hair was growing really fast, being as the same height as her arms began. Her bangs disappeared, and she was wearing no make-up. She hated make-up.

'Hey Al', Andy said in a casual way. He invited her in as she said a shy 'hi' and they went upstairs.

She went into his room, she just stood there, breathing the room, smelling his soul.

'I guess this is the first time you are in my room', she came tons of time to his house, but she always stayed in the entrance. He could sense her happiness of being there.

'It smells… Like you'. She stepped in, her eyes wide open, as she didn't wan't to miss a single color of his wall.

'It's an average room, Allison. Don't create anything special about it', but Andy was thinking hard of something is his room that would impress her.

She looked back and saw him. She frowned and her lips twisted. _What's wrong with average?_ She was saying. One thing Andy learned about Allison Reynolds is that her face says more than her words. She was a compulsive liar after all, so the truth would always be found in her face.

Finally something got her attention. Behind Andy, a beautiful leather football ball would shine in her eyes, guessing that that ball was the jewel of the room. She went close to it and glimpse at it once more. Then her head turned on him, asking him. Andy nodded and with her small white hands, she took it.

'It's from my first match in the national championship. We won it. Since then, it is really important for me.' He walked back to the remotest corner from her. She looked at the ball again and smiled, showing her slightly crooked teeth. She threw it to him across the room. He got it sharply but he let himself fell down to his bed.

'You aren't that bad at all. You could substitute once if we needed to', he teased her.

'I'm stronger than you, Andrew Clark', she was stepping into the bed, defiance on her face.

'Are you sure? You are saying it to a school sport star', he said, going into the corner of his bed. Allison landed on the other side and she crawled to him.

'I am pretty sure. Do you want me to show it?' A sly look was on her dark eyes. He was suddenly frozen, as if she was the lion and him some prey that stopped moving, feeling the stare.

He was sitting in his bed, his back hitting the corner of the bed, and Allison was over him, going closer and closer, until a few inches separated their faces. _So close, but somehow so far._ She was getting closer, and he could appreciate her perfect marble skin and those dangerous brown eyes took him out of breath. His stomach was tickling, and his skin desired hers. Then he heard his mother's voice, far from him, calling him to go downstairs. The moment was interrupted.

'Your mom needs you', Allison dropped her face into his ear and breathed those words.

 _Damn it, mom. You never needed me, and now that she was finally with me, you need me more than ever._

He rushed downstairs to meet his mother. She was preparing cookies with her motherly smile. 'Do you want some?'

'Mom, what do you want?' He didn't hide it; he was pissed off for ruining the moment.

'Who is that girl, son?' His mother always wanted to know about his girlfriends. Funny, because that was the only topic they could talk about.

'She's just a friend, mom. We are friends since a couple of months before.' He wanted to go back and drink up her smell until he could get drunk of it.

'I like her. She looks very interesting.' His mom could sense too when he liked a girl. She had that motherly sixth sense too.

'Thanks, mom. Can I go without you asking me something about her?'

His mother smiled and he went upstairs, jumping by sets of two steps, to find his room empty. Allison disappeared from the room, as she never existed. Maybe it was all fake. Maybe he imagined Allison wanting to kiss him, as they didn't do anything since the first day the met. They had this strange flirty friendship, when you could distinguish when was flirt and when was pure friendzone.

He went into the room to see if it was true, if she wasn't there. And she wasn't. She was outside, in his backyard, looking at the sky, dreaming of its colors. He could see her through the window. _It wasn't my imagination after all._ How the heck did she moved to the backyard? The window was closed and even so, it was too high to survive the jump and no tree was near there. She would have to cross the kitchen to arrive to the backyard's door, and the front door was locked with a set of keys that only his parents owned. And she was too big for the windows of her house. Unless she tele transported or something.

He went downstairs to go the outside and he found her looking at the grass and the flowers and nature in general, amazed by everything. That was an advantage of being a friend of her—she could create the uniqueness from the average.

'Your backyard is so… beautiful'. Her emotions were hard to only express in words. 'So beautiful that I want to cry'.

'How did you get here?', Andy asked, ignoring the compliment.

She turned to him. 'Don't ask.'

'You always find a way to surprise me, Reynolds' he drew closer to her.

For a long time they kept staring the horizon of the green color across the garden. She was enjoying the moment, and he was enjoying her. Why she had to be so interesting? Even now in school she was still popular though she dropped the mean girls' club with Claire. They were still popular not in a superficial way, but in a interesting way. She and Claire were the cool kids now without feigning something they don't belong too. They didn't draw that much attention either, but they were in the highest level in the social pyramid.

'Can you feel the sky across you?' she began. 'Can you feel the freedom that this big, blue, beautiful gift is giving to us? 'Cause I do. Sometimes, when I'm sad and alone, I would go out and stare the sky. He has been my only true friend since the beginning, embracing me from darkness and he was always there. And that is when I realised that even though I hate my life, I feel the luckiest person alive because I can see this piece of art made by nature that makes love with my senses.' She could do that time to time—not talk at all and suddenly blurted out a flow of words that are way too deep for an average teenager.

Andy couldn't hold it more. 'I think that I'm in love with you.'

Allison stare fell into the ground and her smiles fades. She was tense, suddenly, and look at him, like if in any moment he would attack her. And then, she did the thing that she promised long ago to herself whenever she saw the opportunity: she ran.


	5. Escape from Reality

_Why did she run?_ He was still confused about last Saturday. _Maybe she wasn't prepared for such a thing. But damn, I told her I love her, not that I killed her grandpa._ He hadn't talk with her since then. _Maybe she didn't love you back, and she escaped so that it wouldn't hurt._ Those were negative thoughts. _Never think that you'll fail, because if you do, you will fail._ That was the words his father always told him before a match.

In lunch time, he was looking for Allison, but she didn't appeared. Nor did Claire. _Maybe they are doing other stuff._ He needed to talk to her. He didn't want an answer, but he wanted to ask her if she was okay. It was bad if she bumped him, but it would be worse if she didn't wanted to be with him anymore. _Oh, come on, don't self-pity. You can do it better._

Claire went into the cafeteria. She was stunning, with her hair that glowed for fire, which helped him to know that she was Claire. Not a lot of girls like her have that hair.

But something was wrong. Allison wasn't with her, and Claire was walking around the place, as she lost her dog or a bracelet. She was confused and worried. Finally she saw him, and she rushed to talk to him.

'Andy, could you come with me for a moment?' Claire said it more in a demanding tone.

'Sure.' He looked at Rick and Rick gave him a confused look. Claire took him out of the cafeteria.

'Could you tell where the heck is Allison?' She was a bit annoyed.

'Where the heck is Allison?' He said, amused. _It's a prank._

Claire hit him.

'Stupid, I didn't see her in the whole morning.'

'Maybe she got a cold.' _Too many maybes._

'Maybe. But she'd phoned me if she got it.' He didn't like how she was looking at him.

'Maybe she got it this morning. I don't know, Claire! I can't read her mind or something.'

'What happened on Saturday?' She went straight.

'What?'

'She told me on the phone last Saturday that she was going to your house. And know I ask you, what happened on Saturday?'

Claire was really intuitive. _She could sense everything that could happen through your mind. Maybe that is one of the social skills that she got from being popular._

'I told her that I loved her.'

Claire raised her brow. 'And what had she done after that?'

'She ran'. It was uncomfortable to talk of this with Claire.

'Ran to where?'

'I don't know, Claire. I didn't followed her.' After saying that, Andy suspected of another possibility that flew through his head and hoped it wasn't true.

Claire read his mind. 'This afternoon we are going to Allison's house. And we'll figure it out.'

—

They had never been in her house. If they could called that a house. The yard was unmanned, looking more like a wild crop field, the house looked as it wasn't painted in centuries. It looked more like a haunted house.

The doorbell made a funny noise, half muffled by the age of the house. An untidy woman opened the door, annoyed that somebody called her.

'Who is?' the woman had melodic voice that the question sounded more like a song.

'We are two friends of Allison.' Claire had her address on her agenda, so it wasn't difficult to get to there. 'I'm Claire and his is Andrew.'

'Allison is not here yet.' She said in her cold melodic voice.

'She didn't come to school today, Mrs Reynolds.' Claire tried to sound as flat as possible.

'I know.' _They ignore me._

'When was the last time you have seen her?' Claire looked more like a detective, questioning the witness.

'She came on Saturday, but it was a bit late. Almost night. She was out of breath, but she ran upstairs and we heard strong noises from her room. We later heard steps on the stairs again, the door shut, and I haven't seen since then.

It was worse than they thought. Andy was beginning to feel dizzy, but Claire never lost her composure.

'And have you called the police, Mrs Reynolds?' Claire was cautious in this question.

'No. She will appear. Eventually.' Both of them were taken aback by Allison's parents' indifference. They really didn't cared about her. _Well, if they don't care, somebody has to._

'Mrs Reynolds, I would like to ask one more question please.' Mrs Reynolds raised her brow. 'Can we go to Allison's bedroom?'

'Why not?' She said sarcastically. She opened the door. She was wearing a dirty old robe that showed most of her legs. She returned to the kitchen as Andy and Claire saw the stairs. Mrs Reynolds didn't even tell them where Allison's room was.

A door was ajar, and they went into it. The room was a lion's den. The clothes were in the bed, and the books were in the closet. Everything was where it shouldn't be.

'She escaped' Claire said, scared of such untidiness.

Andy found a paper with a bus on it. It was a schedule, going to the city center. Claire found a broken piggybank. They looked at each other for a long time and Andy said:

'She escaped to the city.'

—

He returned to his house, decisive to go into the city and find her. It was almost two hours of driving, so he had to go as soon as posible, so it wouldn't be that dark. When he was going into the car, he found his father looking at him.

'Where are you going?' his father required.

'I have to go to Rick's house, dad. I will return in a couple of hours.'

'Son, are you okay? You look worried.' His father came closer, but Andy shut the car's door.

'I'm fine, dad, but I have to really go. Bye.' He left the house with the look of his father in Andy's back.

 _I can't go to search Allison, my parents will kill me. Are you okay going by your own? I'll be fine, Claire._

 _I don't have to run away to the streets. I could run away and go to the ocean, I could go the country, I could go to the mountains, I could go to Israel, Africa, Afghanistan._ Andy hoped that she didn't have that much cash to go to Afghanistan.

He went to the town hall, thinking that it would be a great idea to begin with, since is the heart of the city. But that wasn't the main reason. He saw police cars parked around, a lot of people making a circle of something. _Oh, no. God, please don't let her do this to her._

He pushed the people to find the floor empty of people, but with blood on it. _This can't be good._ People were going in and out, most of them police officers. Finally he saw a face he could recognise. _Why is he here?_

'Bender!' Bender didn't hear him. He kept shouting. 'Bender! Bender!'

Bender had his nose broken and he was limping, but he saw Andy. He didn't seem surprised

'Dude, what happened to you? Are you okay?' Andy was confused. _Why some many polices for a street fight?_

'I was wandering the streets when I saw three guys on her.' Both knew who was _her_. 'Allison. She was unconscious, near to be dead, and half naked. I have the theory that had tried to rape her, but she was too wild and hurt one of them, so they beat her until she couldn't feel anything at all.'

Andy collapsed. _I don't have to run away the streets._ Bender continued.

'I recognised her and went into one of the guys and I knocked him over. The other two stopped beating her and one of the had a knife. He tried to stab me.' Showing a bandage in his left arm. 'But I stabbed him first. The last one shitted on his pants and ran away. I thought that she was dead, but she was still breathing', he smiled. 'The wild one was still breathing. I wrapped her with my coat and took her next to the town hall. An ambulance took her ten minutes ago. While one of the docs was wrapping my arm, I asked for her and the man told me she was going to be fine.'

Andy didn't move. _It looks like a movie, but it's real. This shit is real_. One of the policemen saw him and tried to throw Andy out.

'I'm one of the girl's friends!' he said, trying to stay for more information. 'I was with her before she disappeared!'

The policeman looked at him, interested, and Andy followed him to the police office. In there they asked him a few questions and answered all of them. _What you were doing before she escaped? Were you drunk or in drugs? Did she mentioned her plan before fleeing?_ After the interrogation, they said to him that they would call her parents.

'It's not going to work.' Andy said. 'They don't care about her.'

They showed him the video tape that the recorder of the town hall had made. The attack was close to the building, so he could see half of the fight.

At first, everything was still, as if it was a picture. Then three men came to the boxes near the garbage and they took out an object from the boxes. They spotted Allison. A lot of movement happened, but Andy couldn't see it clear because the camera wasn't good. Suddenly one the guys fell to the floor and tried to get up. _Allison kicked him hard._ Then the guys began to hit the object and more movement was involved. It lasted for five minutes, until a fifth person came in the scene. Bender.

He ran into one of them and the guy fell down, not getting up. Another individual came into him, but Bender did a short move and kicked him. The last ran away. Bender ran closely to the her (she was not moving) and they were again still for a minute. Then he took off his coat and wrapped her, like a huge hot dog. He lifted her with his arms and ran into the town hall. The tape stopped.

Andy found himself in tears. _Somehow I feel guilty. I know that it isn't my fault, but I still feel it. I'm an asshole._ He asked for the hospital address and he drove into there. _Hang on, Allison._

 _—_

Bender was right, she looked almost dead. Her face was hidden by bandages, she had her leg in a support so that it couldn't touch anything, and her pretty white skin was painted with bruises and red cuts. But the worst was the sleep. She has been sleeping since the attack. Andy asked the nurse. 'She will be in comma for a while.' She noticed his worry. 'It won't be for long. She's in a critic state now, but she's out of danger. All she needs to do now is to rest.'

When they asked him at school, he told half the truth: she was attacked and saved by Bender, but he didn't tell about the escape. Nobody needed to snoop around Allison. Claire was horrified by the event.

'I was so selfish, thinking of what my parents may say if I'd gone with you', she was crying, but somehow, Andy didn't believe her. 'When are going to the hospital?'

'I'm going after training. Others will come with me too. They are bringing flowers and everything.'

'And… do Allison's parents know it?' She dried her tears.

'Yes, and they won't pay the hospital. That's a problem we'll have to cover later, but they didn't visit her once.' Andy hated her parents. _They ignore me._ _They treat her as she never existed_ , he angrily thought.

'They are so… cold'.

—

A week after, Allison woke up. When he came to the hospital, the nurses warmly told him that she was okay.

'You are a really good boyfriend', one of the nurses said. 'You must love her a lot'.

 _I'm not her boyfriend, but I do love her._ He found her with her eyes slightly open, smiling. _She must be stoned because of the dope._

'Andy!' Allison mouthed. 'You are here!'

'Of course I am here, Al', he had to smile. 'How are you going?'

'I feel like a might die in any moment.' She was laughing. 'The nurses said I've been sleeping for a week.' Her face darkened. 'I do remember a few things after I bit one of those cocksuckers and kicked him. I remember pain. Why didn't I die, Andrew?' she looked as she might cry.

 _Because I prayed to God that you wouldn't._ 'John Bender saved you. He saw you, and fought those whoresons.'

Allison frowned. 'Bender? Why…?' she closed her eyes, twisting her mouth as she let her head fall onto the pillow. _She is suffering_. 'Where is he?'

'Now that you ask, I don't know. I haven't seen him since that night.' He has to find him. _I have to thank him. Maybe Claire knows where he is._

He came closer to her and saw the upper part of her arm wrapped in heavy bandages, and he took her hand only to see that both of them were in bandages too. Allison tried to close her hand, only to feel the pain again.

'He stabbed me.' She began. 'He was going to stab me in the guts or in somewhere important, but my arm was quicker than him. He stabbed my arm.' She looked at him, so lost, so sad and so lucky. 'He tried a second time, but I stopped the knife with my own hands.'

Andy breathed deeply. He wasn't prepared for this. He would change places with her. He was strong, he could even defend himself. But it was Allison the victim.

He stroked gently her face with his hand, scared that her face might fall or the skin would break. She looked at him, smiling, and enjoyed the caressing.

'Come closer', she whispered.

With his heart pounding on his chest, he leaned on her, and with the best arm she put her mouth in his ear. 'Thank you. For worrying. For everything.' She kissed his chick with delicacy. His skin was hungry of her. 'Please don't do this to me again.' he pleaded. 'Don't leave me alone again.'


End file.
